On a 10-game Tuesday night, the Phoenix Coyotes were looking to win their 10th-straight and move into 1st-place in the Western Conference. The only problem is they would have to skate through the team they were tied with for 1st, the Chicago Blackhawks. The Coyotes give us our Game of the Night for their 4th-straight game:
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Great defense, just enough offense, and a fantastic outing by goaltender Antti Niemi showed why the Chicago Blackhawks could be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs--not that their 2nd-best record in the league needs any more proving to do.
The win puts the Blackhawks back atop the Western Conference with 99 points, 1 point ahead of the now-2nd-place San Jose Sharks.
Patrick Kane scored his 28th goal of the year 1:45 into the 2nd period to give Chicago a 1-0 lead. 5-and-a-half minutes later, Marian Hossa made it 2-0 for the Blackhawks. That was all they would need.
Antti Niemi made 28 saves en route to his 6th shutout of the season. Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 30 shots for Phoenix.
The Coyotes did have their chances, including numerous scrums in front of the net and even hitting a couple of posts, but the bounces wouldn't fall for Phoenix tonight, ending their 9-game winning streak--tied for the 3rd-longest winning streak this season.
The Phoenix loss, coupled with the San Jose win over Minnesota, moves the Coyotes back to 2nd in the Pacific Division and 4th in the Western Conference with 97 points. San Jose is up to 98 and they have a game-in-hand on the Coyotes.
But it's only time until the Coyotes clinch their 1st playoff spot since the 2001-02 season, bringing the white-out back to Phoenix.
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Panthers 4 Maple Leafs 1
Florida's win moves them up to 11th in the East with 71 points and ties them with the Rangers in points for 10th. They are 7 points out of a playoff spot with only 10 games remaining. Scott Clemmensen made 42 saves for the Panthers and came within 3 minutes of his first shutout of the season. Toronto remains last in the East with 64 points.
Blue Jackets 3 Devils 6
New Jersey explodes for 6 goals, including 1 from Ilya Kovalchuk and 2 each from Zach Parise and Travis Zajac, after scoring a total of 1 in their previous 2 games. Martin Brodeur records his league-leading 40th win for the Devils. The win puts them atop the Atlantic Division, tied with the Penguins in points, with 90, but they have 1 game-in-hand on Pittsburgh. Columbus remains 14th in the Western Conference with 70 points.
Bruins 4 Thrashers 0
Coming into the night, Boston held the 8th and final playoff spot in the East, with 76 points, and Atlanta was 1 point behind them. The Bruins now have a 3-point lead over the Thrashers after a 27-save shutout from Tuukka Rask. Atlanta could never get anything going as they saw their 4-game winning streak come to an end. Boston has won 2-straight, and both were over the 2 teams chasing them for 8th--the Rangers on Sunday and Atlanta tonight. Their lead over the 10th-place Rangers is now 7 points.
Flyers 0 Senators 2
Ottawa wins their 2nd-straight and Philadelphia loses their 3rd-straight after a 26-save shutout from Brian Elliott, his 2nd shutout in as many nights. Before their game on Monday, the Senators had lost 5 in-a-row and were tied in points with both Montreal and Philadelphia for 5th in the East. No problems here, though, as they down both teams in consecutive nights and don't allow a goal. Ottawa now has 83 points and sits 5th in the East, while the Flyers remain with 79 points and are still tied with the Canadiens for 6th. They are only 1 point ahead of the 8th-place Bruins, but 4 points up on the 9th-place Thrashers.
Hurricanes 2 Lightning 3 (OT)
Martin St Louis scored twice for Tampa Bay, including the overtime winner only 29 seconds into the extra session to break their 5-game losing streak. They are 12th in the East with 70 points and are 8 points out of a playoff spot, while Carolina's point moves them up to 69, 9 points out.
Stars 3 Predators 1
Dallas scored 2 goals 30 seconds apart in the first 2 minutes of the 3rd period, and they keep their very slim playoff hopes alive despite being outshot 35-14. The Stars have 78 points, sit 10th in the West, and are 7 points behind 8th-place Detroit with only 9 games remaining. Nashville remains in 6th in the West with 89 points, tied with the Kings in points for 5th, but they have played 3 more games than L.A.
Sharks 4 Wild 1
San Jose moves back into 1st-place in the Pacific Division with their 1st win in 6 games, 1 point ahead of the Coyotes. They have 98 points and move back into 2nd in the West, 1 point behind Chicago for the lead. Minnesota has all but been eliminated, as they are 13th in the West with 76 points and are 9 points out with only 9 games left.
Ducks 1 Flames 3
Anaheim loses their 1st game in 5, badly hurting what were their slim playoff chances. The Ducks are 9 points back with 10 games remaining. Calgary, on the other hand, gets a huge win, moving back to within 2 points of the Red Wings for the 8th and final playoff spot in the West. They have 83 points with 9 games left, while Detroit has 10 games left.
Canucks 2 Oilers 3
The Edmonton Oilers have the worst record in the league, are 9 points behind the 29th-place team, and remain the only team to have officially been eliminated from the playoffs. But the Oilers--or, SpOilers. . . . .are not playing by the numbers. Their current home-stand saw the Red Wings, Sharks, Canucks, and Ducks on the schedule. Well, they're 3-for-3 so far, beating 3 of the 8 current playoff teams in the West who happen to be 3 of the best teams in the NHL. Edmonton now has 55 points, while Vancouver remains 2nd in the West with 92 points, and tops in the Northwest Division, 5 points up on the Avalanche.
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Wednesday's Schedule:
Islanders @ Rangers, 7:00, MSG 3D (first ever live 3D sports event in the U.S.)
Penguins @ Capitals, 7:00, CSN, NHL Network (during free preview of NHLN for U.S.)
Canadiens @ Sabres, 7:30
Blues @ Red Wings, 7:30
Kings @ Avalanche, 9:00, FS West
Ducks @ Canucks, 10:00, Prime Ticket
